Penn State field hockey defeated (6-4, 2-1 Big Ten) No. 19 Lafayette College (9-2, 3-0 Patriot League) 3-2 in overtime at home on Sunday afternoon.

Penn State field hockey honored seniors Natalie Freeman, Maddison Britton, Camryn Standish, Elise Dewan, Sienna Dunn, and Emmy McCulley after the game to celebrate Senior Day.

How It Happened

Penn State started with the opening possession before it was quickly taken away by Lafayette. The Nittany Lions got the ball back before another turnover.

Penn State’s Lilly Holmes tried to send the ball downfield but couldn’t keep it between the lines. Lafayette lost possession of the ball after a clean Nittany Lion steal.

Penn State’s first scoring chance of the game came from Sienna Dunn, who let the ball rip off her stick. Unfortunately, it went wide of the net.

The Nittany Lions had another opportunity shortly after. Ella Gaitan had a chance before getting denied by Leopards’ goalie Addison Kahn.

Lafayette’s Lea Good had a steal in Penn State territory. Unfortunately for the Leopards, they couldn’t generate a shot. Their first chance came with 7:12 left in the first.

Katie Jackivicz gave the Leopards their first shot. Penn State goalie Aby Deverka closed the door quickly, which kept the game scoreless.

Penn State had the ball in Lafayette territory for over three minutes; they were unable to take a shot on net. The Nittany Lions lost possession again shortly after a bobbled pass from Lara Pyle.

Jackivicz made a good move to break the Penn State defense; the Nittany Lions were able to quickly regroup and keep a shot off net, keeping the score 0-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Lafayette’s Stella Malinowski had a steal after a missed Nittany Lion pass. The Leopards took it into Penn State territory but couldn’t get a shot.

Lafayette got the first penalty corner with 9:54 left in the second, which Penn State defended and kept the score 0-0.

The Leopards had the ball deep in Penn State territory. Lafayette missed a pass, which resulted in the Nittany Lions taking over possession.

Penn State was awarded a penalty corner with 1:42 left in the second period. Gaitan took a shot on net, but it was denied by Kahn.

Lafayette had possession in Penn State territory, but the Nittany Lions were able to take possession back before the end of the second period.

The Leopards started with possession in the third period, and the two teams went back and forth with the ball.

Lafayette was given a penalty corner with 13:25 left in the third. The play went under review but was upheld. Penn State had a few blocked shots before clearing the ball. The Leopards were not able to get a shot off.

Penn State’s Olivia Marthins had a nice breakaway from Lafayette. She delivered a pass to Pyle, who couldn’t get a shot off.

The Leopards kept possession in Penn State territory for quite some time. The Nittany Lion defense was able to lock down passing opportunities and shut down shot attempts.

The Nittany Lions had possession with the final seconds in the third period but couldn’t get a shot off.

Lafayette struck first in the fourth quarter with 8:59 remaining. Emma Maher got one past Deverka, assisted by Maddie Evans, giving the Leopards a 1-0 lead.

Penn State struck right back with 7:29 remaining in the final period. The goal was scored by Marthins, her fourth of the season and was assisted by Natalie Freeman to tie the game up 1-1.

Penn State snuck another one past Kahn with 6:53 remaining in the final period. The goal was scored by Freeman, her fourth of the season, assisted by Marthins, which gave Penn State a 2-1 lead.

Lafayette was awarded a penalty corner. The Nittany Lions challenged the play, but the call was upheld.
With 2:08 left to play, Lafayette’s Lena Thedrian smoked a ball past Deverka off a goal on the penalty corner, which was assisted by Gibbs, and tied the game 2-2.

With seconds left, the Nittany Lions had their best chance all game to find the net, but Kahn made a strong effort to keep the ball alive. Penn State couldn’t get one in before the end of regulation.

Penn State was awarded a penalty corner with 11:40 left in overtime. The penalty corner was unsuccessful for the Nittany Lions after great defense from Lafayette.

The Nittany Lions were awarded another penalty corner with 10:35 left to play in overtime. The penalty corner attempt was successful. Gaitan found the back of the cage off an assist from Dunn and Standish, giving Penn State a 3-2 overtime win over No. 19 Lafayette.

Takeaways

• As the season continues, the Nittany Lions need to work to clean up the passing game. There were a lot of missed passes that could have led to scoring chances throughout the game

• Penn State’s defense matched well with Lafayette’s aggressiveness. The strong defensive performance helped the Nittany Lions stand their ground and secure the win in overtime.

• Penn States offense came alive late in the fourth quarter to push the Nittany Lions past a ranked Lafayette squad. The overtime win meant even more to the six seniors on Senior Day.

What’s Next?

Penn State field hockey will be back in action on Friday, October 9, at 3 p.m. at Michigan State. Folks can watch along on Big Ten Plus.